As I’m reading more of Michael Lewis’s Bestselling Book, Flash Boys, about high frequency automated trading, it seems like “programmers” or “techies” are more of an after thought in financial companies, which tend to prize sales abilities over the skills needed to build sustainable technological infrastructure. This is ironic, seeing as it’s the computer’s algorithm, not the Harvard MBA or the golf-playing sales manager that is actually raking in money for the company.

The bias towards prizing business-type employees is the complete opposite point of view of Silicon Valley startups and established companies like Google and Apple, which view engineering talent as being more valuable than sales talent.

This is also the same view that many ‘startup gurus’ seem to adopt. At the very least, they will push the “need to know how to code.”

When I was first starting out, this point always confused me. Steve Jobs didn’t code. Peter Thiel doesn’t see to code. Mark Cuban is far more of a salesman, even if he did know some basic IT information and programming. Reid Hofman does not appear to be a programmer in my research. Why then should you know how to code?

So, if you are a business type and want to partner with a programmer rather than learn how to code, then check out some of the points I’ve outlined below from my experience so far.

The “Partnering with a Programmer” Myth

I think that there is a myth among most early tech entrepreneurs who believe that they are “idea men” and can easily secure a programmer who will get to work right away and build out their brilliant app or website. They will partner with the programmer and give them equity in their company.

First of all, in my experience, it’s extremely hard to find a programmer to build out “your” idea. Programmers, like most people, like working on projects that they care about. Although there are a few ways to meet a startup cofounder, if a programmer is blindly following your instructions to build some amazing app, it’s usually a given that they are new and looking for experience, that you are paying them money, or, if they think it’s a really good idea and they think you’re an idiot, they might be building a version of the idea on their own like Mark Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins.

Second of all, for those that have been around the block a few time, it’s pretty apparent that a partnership must go two ways. If you want to work with a programmer to launch a new tech startup, you need skills or resources to bring to the table. They should be valuable because clearly, you’re not bringing coding ability to the table, which is what matters most in the early stages. Of course, you could be like Chris Hughes in the early days of Facebook and “answer the phones,” but I’m sure that’s not what you had in mind. Granted, he is worth nearly a billion

The Best Way to Attract Technical Talent

In my experience, there are two main ways to attract technical talent if you are stronger on the business side. This does not necessarily have to be talent with regards to technology. If you’re doing a fashion startup or trying to build a hardware product, this means the actual individual who can design clothes or do the CAD renderings.

The first way is to be extremely good at what you do and to make sure that it is a high value to others who want to start a company. Knowing your “circle of competence,” as Warren Buffet says, is paramount. Understanding what you are good at and what you are not good at will help you determine the best way to add value to the new venture. This could be: internet marketing, direct sales, operations, etc.

For example, you might have a very large social media following like Tim Ferriss. If the startup is geared towards your audience, it’s more likely that you can help the product gain traction and connect with users. In addition, if you have additional funds and the net worth, you would also have financial resources to contribute to the venture. This makes a good partner, or advisor.

The second way is to be a good fit, which seems easier to determine than it is. There are certain businesses parters that are simply a “good fit” for a particular venture because of their aspirations, inclinations, and emotional mentality. The best way to figure out whether or not you are a good fit for someone else is to genuinely get to know people!

Rather than trying to sell someone on an idea that you have, get to know the person that you’d like to work with and what they care about. What projects excite them? Why do they push themselves? What do they value? Answering these questions might lead you to the conclusion that you shouldn’t work together. This is much better to find out ahead of time than a year down the road when you both have vested interests in a project and disagree.

Know Your Stuff

Even though Steve Jobs didn’t code, you can bet he knew his stuff, across a wide array of technical endeavors. Understanding the specifics of a particular framework, language, or even a product’s basic engineering really goes a long way when you are trying to build rapport with a technical partner.

Knowing your stuff has the added benefit of being able to call out other people who don’t. Just like there are MBA bullshitters, there are programmers who are bullshitters. If being rich or successful is the currency of the MBA field, being intelligent, writing beautiful code/solving problem well, and creating cool projects is the currency of the programming realm. Good programmers attract good programmers. Bad programmers attract more bad programmers.

“But when I think about what killed most of the startups in the e-commerce business back in the 90s, it was bad programmers. A lot of those companies were started by business guys who thought the way startups worked was that you had some clever idea and then hired programmers to implement it.” – Paul Graham.

Finally, I think that the way to find good technical partners is to understand the way they look at the world. Who do they idol? You might list Mark Cuban as an idol, but they may revere Paul Graham. You might want to make a ton of money, but they care more about changing the world. It’s no different than a traditional relationship – if you want it to thrive, you have to understand how the other person feels, thinks, and works.

Expect Nothing and Give Constantly.

Lastly, the way to survive in a world where the power is increasingly shifting from the MBAs with polished shoes and suits to the geeks in sandals and t-shirts is to always be delivering value. Rather than thinking about what you can get out of a relationship or how you can get someone to work on your project, be okay with just forming a relationship.

I do my best to not hesitate to introduce two smart people who I think would get along or to share traffic data with a friend to one of my websites if they are building a software product the niche. Will I benefit in some way from those action? Probably not, but you never know how you could by some random way in the future, even if it’s just good karma.

Ultimately, people, whether they are a business type, programmer, or techie wants to work with other people they like, respect, who cares about the project, and who brings something tangible to the table. I’ll let you know once I’ve gotten my gray hairs, but I’m confident this is the most reliable way to develop sound business relationships over the longterm. Funny enough, being “longtime friends” is another criteria of a good ycombinator application.